Friday, 25 November 2011

I am getting there slowly with the shopping and am no where near as organised this year as I normally am. I haven't even bought cards yet, but there are some things that mean Christmas is nearly here.

At work I have been teaching the year sevens how to make an advent calendar in ICT. That in itself leaves me feeling a little christmasy on a Monday.

Today, here, was our Dickensian evening. Our local shops are all open late. The Christmas lights get turned on, Father Christmas is in town, all the shop workers get dressed up in Victorian dress and give away mulled wine. Chestnuts are roasted.

It is a lovely evening, though a little crowded with prams, but the boys enjoyed seeing the lights and Monkey glimpsed at Father Christmas. All have gone to bed and have gone straight to sleep knowing that FC will now be watching and keeping an eye on their behaviour.

It's only a month to go..... and there is still so much to do but those feelings are just beginning and the excitement is beginning to show in some of us!

Tuesday, 22 November 2011

I knew that one day I would have three children, and from even before we got married and got pregnant, I always knew in my heart that my three children would get Baptised together. I don't know why I felt like this but part of me wanted them to remember it, and if the little one couldn't then at least the eldest one should.

I knew that it is a special day in any true believers life, a welcoming to the church family. And even though we are not regular church goers, in fact in the eight years we have lived here we haven't been, but it was something I wanted to do, and I just needed to kick myself up the bum in order to get me there.

Their Baptism was that kick.

I had always been a church goer until I met my husband. I have a faith, whether it is entirely Christian I am not sure, but my beliefs are strong enough to know that teachings like the ten commandments can't be that bad! If my children grow up knowing right from wrong and what is acceptable behaviour and can show compassion and empathy for others then I think I and they are doing a good job.

So on Sunday the boys got Baptised.

It really was a lovely experience. Three boys smartly dressed, both Beanie and Monkey wanting to wear shirts and ties!

The vicar was lovely, he had visited us at home three times before, so the boys knew him, and his wife admitted to me on my way into church that he had become quite smitten with them!

We sang hymns, and some songs (that I didn't know) but the boys enjoyed it!

Monkey had the hiccups at the font, but they soon vanished when he had a handful of water chucked over his head!

Worm not so impressed as you can see in the pictures! He did sleep through part of it, but got woken by the singing! (not mine !!)

Beanie took it all in his stride!

Today Monkey has been to nursery and has told all his little friends that the water was cold and that everyone came back to our house for chocolate cake and sponge!

We celebrated by having tea and cake, nothing too grand.

We also had an insight to what Christmas will be like. Monkey was desperate to find out what was in the presents. Last year at Christmas he showed little interest!

It really was a lovely day and I am really really glad that I waited and had all three 'done' together.

Saturday, 19 November 2011

I was tagged by love_from_mummy at Dear Beautiful Boy to answer the above question. A bit personal I thought at first, but then I read her blog and realised it wasn't what I had first thought!

So where do I do it?

I actually have a choice about where I do it? (Aren't I the lucky one!)

Every one has there advantages and disadvantages.....

The main computer is in the dining room, it is on a small desk and it is very cluttered with moors-daddy website work. Lots of pieces of paper and pens, wires for this and that. I like working in there but clutter annoys me. I love the fact that this desk can be folded away so you can't see anything but more often than not it is open, showing the mess to the world (or our visitors at least!). It is nice to be sat properly at a desk but this room is also cold in the winter unless the woodburner is lit.

The second place I do it, is in the lounge, sat on the sofa, a cat or two (or three) sat next to me, laptop on my lap. This is the preferred place, warm and cosy and I can keep an eye on the boys if they are up and playing. If they are around then Worm frequently arrives to see if he can close the laptop or to see how many buttons he can push before mummy gives up!

We also have a tablet, (not of the fruity variety) and when I started blogging I did everything on it. I soon realised that it wouldn't suffice and I needed more than what a tablet has to offer. It s great and I do still use it but mainly to view blogs and read other people's thoughts and opinions and to look at the beautiful pictures that people post!

I would like my own little work station. I have a small bureau in our bedroom that belonged to moors-daddy's gran. I would like to have a laptop up there but that would require a lot of sorting out of all the junk that is in it. One day......!

Thursday, 17 November 2011

Sat in the park this afternoon watching Beanie's weekly preparation for Wimbledon, I had to keep moving, it was noticeably cold. Worm and I ended up in the clubhouse in an attempt to warm up.

Winter is here....

So that got me thinking about what to do next summer. We didn't go on holiday last year, and the two previous years have gone 'camping' in France. Okay so we stayed in a caravan (and we wouldn't have it any other way - well moors-daddy wouldn't) so it wasn't really camping. But where do we go next year. We need to go somewhere (I need to go somewhere!)

I have thought about France again, and then I remembered the last time. Ten days in France, eight days of rain. Maybe we need to go further south. I came home and started searching, and found GoCampSpain. A website that shows all the major campsites in Spain and which of the main providers you can book through. It also has loads of information about travelling to Spain and other useful tips, including holidaying with children. It is obviously run by a family who have experienced holidaying abroad with their kids, and has got me thinking. Could Spain be our next trip?

I need to get on with it, and if we are going to go abroad next year we should really think about booking it soon.

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

The lovely people at Blog Match have asked me to tell you about Sevi wooden toys.

A company set up in the 1920's they excited the market with their hand made wooden toys. In the following decades Sevi, continued to master toys and unique gifts for children.

In 1998 Sevi was acquired by The Trudi Company and now more recently Sevi has chosen John Crane Ltd to distribute its products here in the UK.

Any fan of John Crane Ltd and the wonderful wooden toys that they provide will understand why Sevi have chosen them.

Sevi too, produce toys that are amazingly beautiful, and any lover of traditional wooden toys would be pleased to receive one of these under the Christmas tree this year. The detailing and the paint work is exquisite. The variety of toys that they produce caters for all children and are so thought endearing that children's imaginations will run wild.

They really do have some beautiful toys, whether you want the traditional imaginatve play toys, like the kitchen and the work bench or whether you are looking for something a little bit special for your Christmas decorations or for that lovely present for a special someone. What ever you want it is well worth looking at www.john-crane.co.uk to have a look at the new Sevi toys that they have to offer.

Saturday, 12 November 2011

So today I was tagged by More than a Mum, to complete a meme started by @AlliMarshall of Super Amazing Mum

The idea is to answer 10 simple questions and then tag someone else to do the same.

So here goes,

1) Describe yourself in 7 words?

A slightly insane, insomniac, whisky drinking mummy!

(That doesn't sound good does it?!)

2) What keeps you awake at night?

Everything. I am beginning to think I am an insomniac. I don't go to bed until 11pm at the earliest and then I am up anything bewteen once and five times a night with the little two. I am sure they wake each other up but never when I am in the room. I get back into bed and then five minutes later the other starts. After about 4am I don't go back to sleep. I really should start doing something productive with my awake time!

3) If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be and why?

I am struggling with this one, I really do not aspire to be anyone. I would not wish for fame and fortune, I actually like being me. I don't know maybe Winston Churchill, Walt Disney, or maybe even more simply the boys teachers so I can see what they are like in school!

4) What are you wearing right now!!

Jeans and a white Fat Face top, with 3/4 sleeves which is showing the goosebumps on my arms!My Fat Face boots and M+S underwear!

5) What scares you?

Anything that flies! Birds, moths, butterflies, planes etc etc. I am rigid on a flight, I literally don't move and I run a mile if a moth comes near me!

6) What is the best and worst about blogging?

The best - Meeting loads of new people, I still can't really believe how many people blog. The way you can chat to people that you have no idea who they really are.The worst - lack of confidence in my writing and not knowing what to write!

7) What was the last website you looked at?

Super Amazing Mum blog to get the 10 questions! Before that Twitter - it has taken over my life!

8) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would loose the stone and a half of baby weight that I just can't shift! I need to exercise but can't due to hubby's shifts and me constantly looking after the boys if I am not at work.

9) Slankets - Yes or No (this divides the blogging world ;-)

Why have a Slanket when you can just have a blanket!?

10) Tell us something about the person who tagged you?

More than a Mum is actually two people - this confused me a bit at first but to be fair it doesn't take much! Ruth actually responded to the meme, and they (Ruth and Loretta) set out their blog to help all of us other mummies with our motherly duties and rediscovering our true identities! (She also wees when she laughs!)

Saturday, 5 November 2011

However lovely the pictures look and however many of you will stand there tonight oohing and aahing at them, it makes no difference. I hate fireworks.

I don't really know why either, I went as a child to organised displays and was never really a fan of the noise but now as an adult I cannot stand them.

Yes they look pretty and there are some fantastic photographs of them out there but this year again, it will not be me taking them!

I think they are so dangerous and wonder why as a country we still sell them over the counter. I know most people are responsible but it takes just one person to have a silly five minutes before they are scared for life, and most people just don't think about what they really are.

As a teenager I went to a display in my then boyfriends friends garden. It was great, until one went astray, and flew towards the crowd. Two people were taken to hospital with their faces burnt. Amongst it all my boyfriend had turned and run, pushing me towards the fireworks as he went. Little to say I left him soon after!

That night remains with me, and I know how quickly things can go wrong.

No doubt as the boys get older they will insist on us going to see some fireworks but we will never have them at home in the garden!

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

If I am honest I have started to panic a bit about it. I am usually a very organised person. I plan everything. But as of late I feel that things have got on top of me a bit and I haven't quite got my head around it all.

Tonight the boys have gone to Grandparents for the night. Moors-daddy and I will both be out of the house by 7:15am tomorrow, to go to work. So having dropped the boys off, I went to Tesco on my own. Something that rarely happens.

I wandered around in my own time, no screaming children , no hubby on a mission to vacate asap!

I managed to buy little things for stockings, a lovely The Hungry Caterpillar colouring book for Monkey, a couple of Car 2 cars for him too. For Beanie some Star Wars bits and some Lego mini figures. A bit of chocolate too.

I know it isn't much, but at least now I have started, and I feel just a little bit happier and not quite so much of a stress head now!!